The present disclosure relates to an image pickup unit using a lens array.
Various image pickup units have been proposed or developed in the past. In some proposed image pickup units, image pickup data are subjected to predetermined image processing and then output. For example, WO 06/039486 and Ren. Ng et al. “Light Field Photography with a Hand-Held Plenoptic Camera”, Stanford Tech Report CTSR 2005-02 propose an image pickup unit using a technique called “Light Field Photography”. In the image pickup unit, a lens array is disposed on a focal plane of an image pickup lens, and furthermore an image sensor is provided on a focal plane of the lens array. This allows the image sensor to receive a picture of an object formed on the lens array while the picture is divided into beams in viewpoint directions, making it possible to acquire images from multiple viewpoints at a time.